Song of Truth

Julia sighed. Why, oh WHY did she let her parents drag her here again? She studied the crucifix on the wall behind the pulpit and rolled her eyes. As the pastor spoke of eternal damnation, she let her mind wander as her gaze flickered over the rest of the church.

She entertained herself by studying the members of the congregation and imagining a background for them. It was a game she often played at church, when her parents would occasionally drag her there out of guilt and obligation.

She grinned. That heavy-set woman with the big hat would definitely be the town gossip. She would do all the charity dinners and be a constant nuisance to her husband, of course.

And the young woman in front would be a sweet girl, hands down. Innocent and naive-looking, she was at rapt attention, hanging on the pastor's every word. Julia was certain the girl would be shy and unwilling to do anything to draw attention to herself. She'd seen her type before. Suddenly, the girl turned, and their eyes met. The young woman smiled warmly, and Julia quickly averted her eyes, unsure of what had happened.

The pastor finally finished his speech. "And now, we have a solo from Mandy. Mandy?" To her surprise, Julia saw the young woman at whom she had been staring take the microphone and clear her throat. At her nod, the pianist sat down on the bench and began to play.

Mandy closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

And then she began to sing.

Her voice was lovely, filling the church with beautiful phrases and warm melody. But that wasn't what caught Julia's attention. It was the girl's obvious passion and joy that caused Julia to become entranced.

She glowed. There was no other term for it. Light seemed to shine on her beaming, concentrated face as she sang a song about her Savior.

Julia had never seen anything like it. Her parents and many of her friends claimed to be Christian, but they had never shown such love, such overwhelming passion and joy when talking of their Lord. Suddenly she wanted to feel that passion so badly she almost burst into tears.

The lump in her throat didn't fade, even as the song ended. She scolded herself for being ridiculous, made up excuses, and tried to goad herself out of believing what had happened. But still, there was this envy of what Mandy had, and the hole she had been feeling in her heart became harder to ignore. The song Mandy had sung played over and over in her head.

Later that night, Julia lay awake in bed and pondered what had happened that morning. Well, the least she could do was try, she supposed. She took a deep, trembling breath.

"Lord...?" she whispered. Silence. "Um...I don't really know what to say. I've never done this before. But... I realized something today. I want what Mandy has. I want it so badly, and I don't really know what to do about it. I just feel so empty, Lord." A tear slipped down her cheek. Quickly, she wiped it away. "I...." The tears were flowing freely now. "I think we need to have a talk."

Hours later, she was still in bed. She wanted to shout, to sing, to somehow share this incomparable joy and relief that now filled her. But, after all, it was late at night, and her household was asleep. So she did none of those things, and smiled quietly.

But the angels sang.